Large containers of toilet paper at stores like Costco and Meijer have been hard to find for a couple of weeks, but after two confirmed cases in Michigan, this basic household item flew off the shelves.

Schools are closed for Thursday and Friday in the Rochester area as concerns about the coronavirus expand.

Rochester Community Schools along with private schools in the area — Holy Family Regional School and St. John Lutheran — announced the closure Wednesday night, less than a day after the state of Michigan announced its first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hours after universities across the state suspended in-person classes.

At about the same time, the NBA suspended the rest of its season after a player was found to have been infected, and Tom Hanks announced he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had been diagnosed with the illness. And Donald Trump had announced restrictions of travel from Europe.

At 8 p.m., at a Kroger in the district, store shelves were emptied of disinfectant and toilet paper, while shelves holding dry and canned food were partially emptied and lines of four to six people were continuous for four or more cashier lines.

Across the country, talk about efforts for social distancing were ongoing, with some western communities limiting large gatherings. Such limits were part of the efforts by universities across Michigan.

Large containers of toilet paper at stores like Costco and Meijer have been hard to find for a couple of weeks, but after two confirmed cases in Michigan, this basic household item flew off the shelves.

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School board president Kristin Bull said she is grateful that the district is making health its top priority.

"Decision was complex and simple at the same time," Bull tweeted. "Can’t explain it other than that. Grateful to the smart @rochcommschools leaders who are putting community health ahead of everything right now."

Along with questions about the impact on various upcoming programs or events, the handful of comments on the district's Facebook page were positive.

Arti Macedo said: "Excellent decision! So proud of our district to act in a timely manner and also be one of the first to do so. Although this will inconvenience many , this is a decision that will benefit the people at large."

The issue that national leaders is grappling with is an ongoing considering locally, especially with our school systems. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said we need to be prayerful about this issue.

"People are sick and some people are dying in our country and globally," Pelosi said Thursday. "And it is kind of shocking to see the challenges that we have and the decisions that have to be made about people coming together. whether it is sports, or the arts, or political gathers, whatever it is. We have to think in a different way about that."

Typically, when the RCS district closes, the parochial schools closes because they uses the district's buses. Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township make up the bulk of the Rochester Community Schools district.

"Earlier today, RCS forwarded information about the coronavirus, COVID-19. With two known cases of the virus in Michigan, this information is changing rapidly.

Mitigation strategies identified by the governor and the CDC continue to guide our efforts. Nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff.

As we consider recommendations from the experts, and out of an overabundance of caution, RCS will immediately be taking the following steps:

• Close all Rochester Community Schools to students, including School-Age Care (SAC) and Teen Enrichment Activities for Middle School (TEAMS), on Thursday and Friday, March 12-13, to provide training to staff if remote learning becomes necessary outside of the classroom.

• Cancel/postpone all large group events on March 12-13. This includes parent-teacher conferences, plays, musicals, concerts, PTA meetings, MSBOA state solo and ensemble festival, community enrichment programs, and any and all programs outside of the normal school day that occur within our schools.

• Cancel all international travel and domestic travel that is scheduled to occur prior to the end of April.